Seattle Blades

I met the love of my life at ten years old. At sixteen, I gave him my heart. Three years later he was drafted to the NHL and moved across the country. Five years after, he’s back. And he’s meeting his daughter for the first time. I still hate him. Even if my heart says that’s a lie.

I’ve been in love with him for years, despite knowing he could never be mine. Now his charming new boyfriend is determined to include me in all their plans.

You can fall in love in a matter of days. It can take years to recover from the loss of it. I know that all too well. When I fell for Gavin Vaughn, I never expected to watch him marry someone else. The experience changed me, shaped the woman I became. Now he’s divorced and wanting to reconnect after twenty years. As if that same shattered heart doesn’t still beat inside me. He’s as charming as he ever was, better looking, too. And a star player for the NHL team in the city I just relocated to.

I’m not great with relationships or men. I don’t even date. My entire sexual experience can be reduced to three nights of trauma. Imagine my surprise when one of hockey’s best players with the worst reputation takes interest in geeky old me. Tyson Murphy isn’t what I need in my life. He’s hung up on his ex-girlfriend and runs through women like he runs down opponents on the ice. The last thing he needs is a woman who is terrified of intimacy. The last thing I want is to be is just another puck in his net.